April 18, 2025
Yesterday, the Massachusetts House of Representatives released their FY26 budget, which included a $5 million cut to critical services for survivors and efforts to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault. As the statewide Coalition of advocates and service providers, Jane Doe Inc. is deeply concerned about this potential cut and the consequences for the more than 100,000 survivors in Massachusetts who access services every year.
This cut threatens the lifesaving services that providers across the state work daily to make safe, accessible, and affordable for the survivors who need them–especially survivors in our most marginalized communities. These services include rape crisis center services, counseling and therapy, intimate partner abuse education, prevention programming, crisis intervention, housing and shelter support, and more.
In the face of escalating attacks from the federal administration and deep uncertainty about future federal funding, we know this is set to be a challenging year for state and local budgets. But our solution cannot be to reduce support for the people in our communities–like survivors–who need resources the most.
We are grateful to Rep. Natalie Blais for filing Amendment #1603 to restore this deeply-needed funding, and to the many state legislators who understand the importance of protecting survivors and essential funding for survivor services. We look forward to collaborating with legislators, advocates, state officials, and local leaders to restore this funding and advance legislation to protect survivors and prevent violence across the Commonwealth.
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